…this is the truth of the gospel, that the true disciples of Christ crucified should follow Him with the cross.
– Columbanus, Letter to His Disciples, Irish, 7th century[1]
“If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.”
– Matthew 16.24
What should we expect as the normal road of following Jesus? I mean the normal Christian life—what we look forward to our lives being like every day as we walk the path with Jesus?
What should we expect?
The phrase, “from glory to glory” comes to mind (2 Cor. 3.12-18).
Jesus Himself is clear: following Him means self-denial, suffering, and sacrifice for others.
OK, but how do we do that?
“From glory to glory.”
Jesus did not promise us comfort and convenience in this life of following Him; He promised us grace sufficient for all our needs, but only so long as we follow where He leads.
He leads in the way of self-denial, service, giving to others, going the extra mile, considering others and their needs above our own, turning the other cheek, thinking about how to encourage, affirm, edify, and love our neighbors. Dying to self so that Jesus might live through us to others (Jn. 13.1-15).
Imagine all the Christians you know, living this way every day. “From glory to glory.”
In living this way, we follow Jesus as He leads in the way of righteousness, along a path marked out by the commandments of God (1 Jn. 2.1-6), and as He leads us to proclaim the Kingdom of God, which He has brought near (Matt. 4.17).
But how?
“From glory to glory.”
Meet with Jesus every day, first thing, and gaze upon the glory in His face, as He speaks to you from His Word (2 Cor. 4.6). Linger there over the Word, in prayer. Linger, and allow the Spirit to open the eye of your heart to the full, grand, and glorious vision and power of Christ exalted, filling all things with Himself (Ps. 110; Eph. 1.15-23). Let the Spirit use that glorious vision to bathe you in glory, and work transformation in your outlook, desires, and priorities. Then go forth from that glory to live out the glory of Jesus in all the everyday details of your life, taking your cross for others’ sake in all you do (1 Cor. 10.31). “From glory to glory.”
That’s the normal Christian life. But those who experience you living this way will think there’s nothing normal about it (1 Pet. 3.15).
Where are the followers of Jesus today? What would a cross on your back look like each day? Is the pursuit of holiness your daily quest? How often does seeking the Kingdom of God determine your choices? Does the glory of Jesus impel you? Do your neighbor’s concerns and needs take priority over yours?
If we follow Jesus only as far as is convenient, or only so long as our comfort is not disturbed, then would we dare to consider this to be a cross-bearing, Law-keeping, Kingdom-advancing life? Such a life is not the normal Christian life, but sub-normal, and perhaps not truly Christian at all.
Our unbelieving neighbors and friends will believe we have found the truth when we are willing to give up everything we consider precious to follow Jesus in the glory-to-glory path of self-denial, sacrifice, holiness, and witness.
Then again, they may despise us as we do, just as they despised Jesus. They may even take advantage of us, scorn or belittle us.
But at least we will know we are the followers of the Lord, when we share in His suffering. For then we will see as He did the joy that is set down before us as true disciples indeed (Heb. 12.1, 2).
That’s the normal Christian life.
“From glory to glory.”
For Reflection
1. How do you encounter the glory of Jesus in His Word?
2. What does it mean to seek the Kingdom and glory of God—which is our calling (1 Thess. 2.12)—in all your daily activities?
Psalm 105.45 (Warrington: Give to Our God Immortal Praise)
So let us all in our Savior confide, and in His holy Law abide.
Let us observe His glorious Word, and praise our sovereign, faithful LORD!
Give thanks
If you have found this meditation helpful, take a moment and give thanks to God. Then share what you learned with a friend. This is how the grace of God spreads (2 Cor. 4.15).
Be a confident witness for the Lord
Our current ReVision series addresses the question of how we can become more confident in our witness for the Lord. “The Confident Witness” is a two-part series. You can download Part 1 by clicking here. Part 2 continues in our thrice-weekly ReVision column, which you can find by clicking here.
Thank you.
Many of you are faithful and generous in praying for and supporting Crosfigell and The Fellowship of Ailbe. Thank you. May I encourage all our readers to seek the Lord about becoming a supporter of The Fellowship of Ailbe? It’s easy to give to The Fellowship of Ailbe, and all gifts are, of course, tax-deductible. You can click here to donate online through credit card or PayPal or Anedot, or send your gift to The Fellowship of Ailbe, P. O. Box 8213, Essex, VT 05451.
T. M. Moore
All Psalms for singing from The Ailbe Psalter. Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
[1] Walker, p. 31.
